it is with so much gratitude that i am officially announcing my semi-retirement…!
i want to thank everyone who has helped make the broken spoke an absolute success over the past twenty years…it couldn’t have happened without each of you…!
i have been extremely fortunate to have grown my business with the greatest customers possible & i will happily continue to help any of you by appointment only going forward…new customers will be considered on a case by case basis…
just send me an email or call(same number as always) for correspondence…
twenty-two days later & access to the parking lot is now restored…a far cry from three days of the aforementioned window by the powers that be…
——————————————————————————————————————
with no notice & without any regard of allowing previously stated access to the parking lot…the current situation has changed & parking on gilbert street is still maybe a possibility…
otherwise ryan at world of bikes has graciously allowed any of you to park in his parking lot…!
there is also an abandoned parking lot just to the north of the train overpass on gilbert(to the west of gilbert) that can be parked in temporarily…
bikes of course rule & can still access the shop with very minimal issues…
as of today…the building’s parking lot can still be accessed from folks coming from the south via maiden lane…conveniently pictured intersecting with gilbert street…!
coming from the north…?
iowa city civil engineer ethan yoder has approved parking on gilbert street…
This sweet titanium Kona Explosif that I built up a while ago for a great customer just got the carbon fiber rigid fork swapped out for a suspension fork for a bit more cushion & traction up front!
my point of ‘nobody _gets_ their bike stolen because that puts the blame on the victim & everyone should change their vernacular to ‘some jackass stole my bike…” wasn’t conveyed…but this is still a very good in-depth article…thanks to adria for taking the time…!
We were recently interviewed for a Daily Iowan article on the new bike boxes in Iowa City. Below we share our extended answers in the fourth of 8 posts.
Do you feel that drivers respect bikers when they share the road together?
Asa: There are plenty of drivers who do, don’t, and in between. I’m more aware of the drivers who don’t because that requires me to react. I think there are a lot of drivers who don’t even realize I’m allowed to be on the road.
Michael: For the most part yes, the vast majority of motorists I encounter are good about my riding style & seem to understand what’s going on & why I’m doing it.
Pete: It’s always hit or miss. More often than not, I think yes. It is the ugly interactions that stick in the mind the most, not the thousands of cars that have passed me without words screamed from a window. But also, far less cars treat me with the respect I would like, which is passing me in the other lane. I always say a quiet thank you to those cars that do.
One interaction like this……can make it hard to remember how many interactions are like this.
Thank you to Clinton Garlock for originally posing this question. Extra thanks to Pete for taking the time to share his thoughts while taking a break from the shop. Comment your own answers below, we’d love to hear your experiences and insights!
We were recently interviewed for a Daily Iowan article on the new bike boxes in Iowa City. Below we share our extended answers in the third of 8 posts.
What do you do to stay safe when biking?
Asa: I wear a helmet and use my headlight (450 lumens) and taillight. I follow the rules of the road because bikes are a type of vehicle. I try to ride predictably and assume no one can see me, because a lot of folks will drive as if they can’t. I try to have lane placement towards the center of the lane, which maximizes safety and visibility.
Michael: I ride with a very healthy mix of assertiveness & defensiveness in a very vehicular cycling manner. I learned a long time ago to ride where I’ll be seen, generally in the center of the lane. I will routinely swing over to the right third of the lane as a vehicle passes to ensure I am given enough room even in the case if they try to squeeze past me. Without giving myself this buffer, there would be no where to go if danger arose if I was riding far to the right.
Pete: Ride fast, in the middle of the lane, clear hand signals, bright lights at night.
Left turn or mergeTwo ways to signal a right turn
Thank you to Clinton Garlock for originally posing this question. Extra thanks to Pete for taking the time to share his thoughts while taking a break from the shop. Comment your own answers below, we’d love to hear your experiences and insights!
We were interviewed for a Daily Iowan article on the new bike boxes in Iowa City. Below we share our extended answers in the second of 8 posts.
Do you think the bike lanes and the bike boxes will make it safer for bikers, why or why not?
Asa: I don’t think the bike lanes or boxes alone will necessarily make it safer for cyclists because they add more to “perceived safety” while actually giving cyclists less room for error. They also add to motorists’ expectation for cyclists only be in the bike lane, even when they can ride at speed with traffic.
Michael: Bike lanes are love-hate items for me. Bike lanes certainly encourage novice cyclists to start riding who otherwise wouldn’t, which hopefully will allow them to get to a point where they understand the short-comings of bike lanes & have the confidence to then ride on streets where there are no bike lanes & in lane positions that maximizes their safety. The bike lane coming down Dodge Street is a prime example of an unsafe bike lane. Dodge Street is two lanes going one way downhill. Bicyclists can easily maintain the speed limit of 25mph. Yet, the City put in a bike lane that gives cyclists less room that is being traveled at higher speed that curves twice & is commonly obscured with debris since the bike lanes are poorly kept clear.
Pete: In the long run, yes. Anything that gets more cyclists on the road helps improve cycling for all. Could they all be better? Yes. Is all the relevant information out there done by cities with high rankings of bicycle friendly streets? Yes. Did Iowa City use that information to faithfully implement the best systems that they could? That answer better not be yes. If this is the best that Iowa City has to offer to cyclists, we are in trouble.
1/14/21 Update from Michael: I have seen more cars stopping on top of the bike boxes than not.
Thank you to Clinton Garlock for originally posing this question. Extra thanks to Pete for taking the time to share his thoughts while taking a break from the shop. Comment your own answers below, we’d love to hear your experiences and insights!
Michael always says if he could tell every cyclist one piece of advice that would benefit the most, it would be “raise your saddle!” Your knee should be ever so slightly bent at the bottom of a pedal stroke with the ball of the foot over the pedal spindle. You should _not_ be able to put your feet flat on the ground while in the saddle.
We were recently interviewed for a Daily Iowan article on the new bike boxes in Iowa City. Below we share our extended answers in the first of 8 posts.
Do you feel safe biking in Iowa City, why or why not?
Asa: Yes and no, I grew up in rural Iowa biking on 2 lane highway and gravel roads/shoulders, so Iowa City is way safer than that. That being said, Iowa City has average-at-best cycling infrastructure, including misplaced bike lanes and sharrows, and driver’s education about how to drive around cyclists and what is expected of cyclists/what rights cyclists have is as poor as anywhere else.
Michael: Iowa City is a fairly safe city to bike in. I feel as though the main reason for this is the sheer number of cyclists that motorists have to interact with. Look no further than how everyone interacts together downtown & around campus versus on the outer parts of town. Iowa City’s bicycle infrastructure is a mixed bag that helps & hinders cyclists. Ill-placed bikelanes & sharrows that are in the doorzones of parked cars are prime examples of the City putting cyclists in harm’s way.
Pete: Yes. I always have. I grew up in a much larger city where riding on the road was always acceptable, and there was a nice blend of dedicated paths. Here in Iowa City, the roads feel safe as long as I ride in a manner that helps ensure my visibility. Riding in the middle/to the left of the lane, bright lights at night, riding quickly with the flow of traffic. I don’t think the same is said for everyone. I don’t think that Iowa City has done much for bicycle ridership, treating it more of an afterthought. I think that Iowa City bike culture has been created and crafted by dedicated riders who have refused to be bullied by their gas guzzling counterparts. I think we would see a dramatic increase in ridership if the city put more of an emphasis on non motorized use of roadways. Better signage, better paint, a more cohesive bike plan, and for that matter, a better flow of car traffic. All of those things would help riders feel more safe on Iowa City roads. But, as in most of America, roads are built and maintained to be used by motor vehicles and everything else is secondary.
Bike lane in doorzoneDebris in bike laneAwesome sharrows
Thank you to Clinton Garlock for originally posing this question. Extra thanks to Pete for taking the time to share his thoughts while taking a break from the shop. Comment your own answers below, we’d love to hear your experiences and insights!
The Broken Spoke 